Name: Spicy Garlicky Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 14 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup soy sauce; ¾ cup chicken stock; ¼ cup brown sugar; 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (split in half); ¼ cup ketchup; 3-4 tbsp sriracha; 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite sized pieces.); 8 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with water to make a slurry.)

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

This super easy Spicy and Garlicky Instant Pot Sesame Chicken is quickly made thanks to the pressure cooker. Coated with a sweet but spicy sticky sauce, you’ll love this IP chicken recipe.

If you’re craving sesame chicken but want to skip on having to fry up chicken then you’ll love this pressure cooker version of sesame chicken. You’ve got juicy tender pieces of chicken thighs coated in a finger licking spicy and garlicky sesame sauce. Perfect as a quick weeknight dinner or as a meal prep!

Instant pot sesame chicken in a plate and in a meal prep container.

Why You’ll Love this Instant Pot Sesame Chicken

It’s made with pantry staples, you should pretty much have all the ingredients on hand. It’s definitely a recipe I make whenever I’m not prepared and need a meal in a jiffy. It’s the best instant pot sesame chicken.
It’s easy! Everything goes into the Instant Pot and then you pressure cook. It really doesn’t get more hands off than that. To make this into a full meal, before I get started, I prep rice for the rice cooker and while the Instant Pot is running, I quickly sauté some vegetables to go alongside. Boom — a full meal.
It’s a great meal prep. This pressure cooker sesame chicken reheats really well and makes for a great make ahead meal.

Close up of a plate of rice with instant pot sesame chicken on top.

What You Need To Make Sesame Chicken

Overhead image of ingredients for instant pot sesame chicken.

soy sauce — I recommend low sodium soy sauce.
chicken stock — I like to use Better than Bouillon.
brown sugar
toasted sesame oil
ketchup
sriracha
chicken thighs — boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces.
garlic — the more the merrier.
cornstarch — mixed with water to make a slurry.

How to Make Sesame Chicken in the Instant Pot

Step by step photo showing the sauce being mixed in the Instant Pot, chicken being added in, and the sesame chicken cooked in the pressure cooker.

Add the soy sauce, chicken stock, brown sugar, 1 tbsp of the toasted sesame oil, ketchup, and sriracha into your Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
Add in the chicken and minced garlic to the pressure cooker. Put on the lid, set it to sealing, and then pressure cook for 4 minutes.
When done, quick release, turn on sauté mode, add in the rest of the sesame oil and the cornstarch slurry in, and stir for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Serve when the sauce has thickened to your liking.

Tips and Notes

This recipe was only tested in the 6 QT Duo Plus 9 in 1 Instant Pot.
To make this spicier, add extra sriracha and top off with red chili flakes before serving.
I like to add in extra sesame oil at the end for stronger sesame flavour. Give it a taste before the cornstarch slurry and add in salt if you’d like.
When making your cornstarch slurry, be sure to use cold water to a 1:1 ratio with your cornstarch.
You can swap soy sauce for tamari and cornstarch can be swapped for tapioca starch for a gluten-free option.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: store the cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. I usually like to pack this with some jasmine rice and vegetables! Since this is a saucy recipe, I like using a divided container.
How to prep this for the freezer: place everything but the cornstarch in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.

Meal prep container with sesame chicken and vegetables over rice.

Spicy Garlicky Instant Pot Sesame Chicken

This super easy Spicy and Garlicky Instant Pot Sesame Chicken is quickly made thanks to the pressure cooker. Coated with a sweet but spicy sticky sauce, you’ll love this IP chicken recipe.

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 4 mins

Total Time: 14 mins

Servings: servings

Ingredients

¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup chicken stock
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, split in half
¼ cup ketchup
3-4 tbsp sriracha
8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces.
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with water to make a slurry.

Equipment

Instant Pot

Instructions

Add the soy sauce, chicken stock, brown sugar, 1 tbsp of the toasted sesame oil, ketchup, and sriracha into your Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
Add in the chicken and minced garlic to the pressure cooker. Put on the lid, set it to sealing, and then pressure cook for 4 minutes.
When done, quick release, turn on sauté mode, add in the rest of the sesame oil and the cornstarch slurry in, and stir for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Serve when the sauce has thickened to your liking.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition

Authour: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]